Shadow of Death (30 page)

“Please don't talk like that. We
will
celebrate our anniversary. We still have to get our couple's massage. Remember, you want me to request Brunhilda.”

She chuckled slightly through her tears. “One more thing… please tell Lisa I said thank you for making the chocolate cake last night for dinner. Tell her I tasted it and everyone was right; it was delicious.”

“What? Babe, that's not important right now.”

“Please
. I may never get the chance to do so myself. They have Charla, too, and Ann is—”

“Whoa! That's enough,” Troy heard Charlie say as he snatched the phone away from her, but not before Troy heard Natalie repeat the message he was supposed to deliver to Lisa. Then there was a slap and a frightening yelp.

“Natalie!”
Troy screamed.

“Are you starting to like my offer a little better now, detective?” came the sound of Charlie's creepy voice.

“You bas—”

“Now, now, watch your mouth,” Charlie said patronizingly. “I thought you were a Christian man. What would Jesus say if He heard such filth come from you?” He then laughed with an evil undertone that made Troy shudder.

“You better not lay another hand on my wife or you'll be meeting Jesus sooner than you think!”

“Yeah, whatever. I don't judge people for believing in mythological characters. Here's the deal: bring me the money and you get your wife. Don't bring it and you become a widower. It's that simple. According to the conversations we've tapped into between you and your gym girlfriend, you know where it is. And since you brought Shay into this, bring her with you. She talks too much and we need to tie up that loose end as well. All of you can stay here until Chyanne and I leave town.”

Troy may not have had his badge, but he still had his oath and cops never intentionally put civilians in harm's way. “No! I'm not giving y'all another hostage. Leave Shay out of it. I'll come to you, but I'm not bringing anything until you let Natalie and Charla go.” Troy knew these psychopaths would kill whether they got the money or not. They'd have to settle for his life; not his wife's, or Charla's who didn't need to add this craziness on top of the issues she already had. “When I know they're safe, I'll reveal the location of the money, but not beforehand.”

In the end, Charlie and Troy had struck a deal. Troy was to call back in three hours to get the address where the exchange for hostages and a half million was supposedly to take place. “Oh, and detective, if you're smart, you'll leave the cops out of this. The minute I hear sirens, I'll pull the trigger.”

“C
all the police!” RJ said when Troy called to warn him that he needed to get Lisa and all the kids out the house. RJ had already been one step ahead of him. Lisa had called him after Natalie left. At the time, Lisa had no idea where Natalie had gone, but she knew something wasn't right. Natalie's car was still at their house and she'd gone out the back, through their neighbor's property. Lisa believed those were the instructions Natalie had been given by the caller in order to avoid being trailed by the cops.

When Lisa got on the phone with her tearful apology about not being able to stop Natalie from leaving, Troy explained to her that she wasn't at fault. “With all she's going through, Natalie wanted me to tell you that the cake you made for dinner last night was good.” Troy hoped that relaying that message would ease some of Lisa's guilt.

“But, I don't understand. She didn't have any cake. We talked about it, but she didn't want any at the moment. She went to lie down and then she got the phone call.”

“Well, she must've had it without you knowing because she specifically said that she tasted it and to tell you that it was delicious.”

Lisa was confused and Troy didn't have the time or mental capacity to debate the matter. His wife's life was on the line and his three hours to come up with a plan had been cut to two and a half by now. He got off the phone with the Hamptons and called Lloyd who also thought that he should involve the police.

“You can't play games with these people,” he warned. “If I knew where the money was, I'd tell you, for real. This is a dangerous situation you're in. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that you don't have the money and kill Natalie.”

“I know, but if you will help me get Natalie away from them, it'll never come to that.” Troy presented his plan to Lloyd in detail.

“I might work. It reminds me of a movie I once saw—”

“Not now, Lloyd!”

“Okay! My bad. I just can't shake this feeling that something doesn't fit right. We know that Chyanne is the ring leader. I don't understand why she would let Charlie do all the negotiating like he's in charge. I bet she has a trick up her sleeve.”

“So do I, my friend. So do I.”

•  •  •

Troy had been all set to turn himself and the recording over to the police, but he had to ensure his wife's safety first. To do that, he'd use the criminals' ability to listen in to his phone conversations against them and called Shay, knowing they were eavesdropping on her line.

Shay seemed surprised to hear from him so soon, but listened intently as Troy laid out his entire conversation with Charlie.

“I don't understand. Why was he askin' for you to bring me?”

“They think you know too much. It's a trap to get us all in one place and kill us, but don't worry. I wouldn't dare have you come with me. I'm calling to tell you to leave your friend's house immediately. They've been recording your calls so they know where you're staying.”

Shay cursed. “Are you for real?”

“Yes. Get out of there now!”

“Huh-nee, you ain't gotta tell me twice.” It sounded like Shay grabbed her car keys that very moment. “Whatchu gonna do?”

“I'm going to meet Charlie, but I'm not bringing the money with me. First, they have to let Natalie go and when I know she's safe, I'll lead them to the cash.”

“But, won't 'dey kill her if you don't show up wit' 'da money?”

“If they have Natalie, the money and me all in the same place, death is pretty much a guarantee. If their ultimate plan is to kill us, I'll make sure they do it broke. If they want the money as bad as I think they do, they'll let her go. In the end, I'll probably get killed, but that's a risk I'm willing to take as long as my wife remains unharmed.”

“Wow! I admire 'da love you have for your wife. ‘Dat's deep. On 'da real, I'm scurd as I don't know what, but Imma help you however I can 'cuz 'dey trippin' trynna kill er'body. How you gon' git to Charlie's?”

If Eric was back in time, Troy was going to use his car. If not, he'd ride with Lloyd since his incognito friend had already planned to meet him at Eric's house and follow behind him. The plan was for Troy to leave the place and lead Charlie on a wild goose chase, while Lloyd worked on getting Natalie and Charla to safety. Both he and Lloyd were banking that Charlie would not risk escorting Troy alone and that either Will or Chyanne would go along for the ride. Troy would put his money on Will so there could be additional muscle, but Lloyd said he bet Chyanne would be the one to accompany Charlie because she wouldn't trust anyone else to collect that much money outside of her presence. Knowing that someone was listening in on their conversation, Troy didn't want to say any of that on the phone. Instead, he told Shay that he was going to ride the bus.

“You ain't gotta ride no bus. Imma come gitchu.”

“No. I don't want you involved.”

“I already am. The minute 'dese cray crays started tappin' my phone and wantin' to kill me, I was already in. I ain't trynna go witchu to meet 'dem, but you can take my car if you want and Imma hide out somewhere else. I can't say where since people wanna use me and be all up in my business!” She intentionally got louder, like she wanted to make sure Chyanne and friends were aware that she was on to them.

Troy gave her proposal some thought. Having a sure ride was better than the uncertainty of not knowing when Eric would be home. It was also smarter that he and Lloyd drove separately rather than ride together. There was only one problem with hooking up with Shay: Troy didn't want to reveal Eric's address to her during this monitored phone call. He told her as much. “I'm sure they won't come here since I don't have the money with me. Still, I'm not willing to put anyone else in danger.”

“I don't know how I can help you, 'den. There's no place for us to meet without 'dese mutha—”

“I know!” he said, cutting her off before she could fully get it out. Troy suggested they meet at the local precinct of the suburb in which Eric lived. He didn't say this, but it was only a few blocks from Eric's house. He chose the location for three reasons. The police station was the last place criminals willingly went, the likelihood that civilians would be around was slim, and even with the manhunt out for him, Troy was certain no one would be looking for him there. Troy instructed Shay to go someplace that Will would least suspect and stay there until he contacted her. She agreed, jokingly asking if, by helping today, that meant she had two dinner invitations coming. She tried to sound calm, but Troy heard the terror in her voice. “Shay, if Natalie and I make it out of this alive, you can come to our house for dinner for an entire week if you want.”

She laughed nervously. “All right, Imma hold you to 'dat, Southie,” she said before hanging up. Afterward, Troy called Lloyd to update him.

A
s suspected, Charlie wasn't pleased with the alternate arrangements Troy had made on his own, and he threatened to blow Natalie's brains out on the spot if Troy didn't bring the money with him.

“You won't do it,” Troy called his bluff, though it terrified him to gamble with his wife's life. “You won't kill her because, if you do, you get nothing and I'll have a half million dollars at my disposal to hunt you down until I find you. When I do, I'll torture you to the point that you'll welcome death.”

Reluctantly, Charlie agreed to release his hostages upon Troy turning himself into his conspirators and gave Troy an address where they were to meet. He warned again that if he heard the cops, Natalie would be as good as dead. Troy believed him, which is why he vehemently refused to get the police involved when Lloyd suggested it again after Troy told him of the meeting place. Troy had a feeling that it wasn't going to be as easy as Charlie made it seem. There was no honor among thieves or killers, and Troy would be a fool to take Charlie at his word. That's why he'd brought Lloyd into the mix.

The suspicious part of Troy believed that Lloyd was keeping something from him. Maybe it was paranoia about trusting a stranger, especially with the well-being of his wife. But, Troy had to admit that, in the forty-eight hours, he'd known his new friend, Lloyd had proven to be trustworthy thus far. Prayerfully, the TV/movie buff would come through now that Troy needed him the most. Natalie's life was on the line.

Eric got home shortly before Troy was about to leave to meet Shay. “Your countenance is different than it was before I left. Is everything okay?”

Not willing to drag Eric further into the situation than he already had, Troy simply told him that there was another lead. “If I don't make it back tonight, I'm either dead or in jail,” he said bluntly.

“Where are you going? Do you need to use my car?”

“No. Someone is picking me up, but I appreciate the offer. Thank you for everything. The fact that you so willingly opened your home to me under the circumstances will always mean a lot.”

Eric stood proudly with his chest out and his shoulders squared. “Proverbs 17:17 says that ‘a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' I believe the Lord had us meet for such a time as this. It has been my honor to be a vessel, serving both you and the Lord.”

Despite the staunch manner in which he spoke, Eric also appeared sad that Troy was leaving. It was hard to imagine this dude having any real friends considering all of his weird mannerisms. It seemed like he led a very isolated and lonely life. Troy wondered if being here was as much a blessing to Eric as it had been to him. “Thanks, man. I'm not sure what I would have done without you.” As Troy walked through the sanctuary to the door, Eric called out to him.

“Don't be afraid, my friend. Remember what we talked about this morning. This situation is merely a shadow of death. Fear no evil, for God is with you. Though it looks threatening, it won't kill you in the natural or the spiritual.”

Getting killed was the least of his worries. Death was a risk he'd willingly signed up for when he became a cop. It was Natalie he was most concerned about. As he left, he started to recite Psalm 23 to himself, but thinking about his wife.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…

•  •  •

Troy spotted Lloyd parked alongside the street about a block from the station. Shay pulled in minutes later in a dark reddish-brown sedan. “You drive 'cuz I'm too nervous.” She slid into the passenger's seat and Troy hopped behind the wheel.

Her claw-like nails were gone and her blonde hair with its multicolored tips had been dyed jet-black. She looked nice with the ghetto turned down a notch of two. Troy didn't tell her that. Instead he said, “I see you changed your appearance.”

“I told you 'dese people got me freaked out. I'm trynna blend in wit' 'da general public.”

“I'm really sorry for getting you involved. Where am I taking you?” he asked as he drove off.

“To a friend's. Imma stay wit' her 'til you call me. Drive like you goin' to 'da gym. She lives near it. I'll direct you when we git closer.” It was about a fifteen-minute drive from the local precinct in Eric's suburb to the side of town where the gym was located. Troy checked the rearview mirror to make sure Lloyd was behind them. Shay stretched her neck to glance back. She'd changed her appearance, but not the way she dressed. The shirt she had on showed her cleavage and then some. Troy couldn't avoid seeing her tattooed breasts if he tried. “Is someone followin' us?”